3 Different costume ideas to dress your doggie like Lady Gaga this Halloween

Halloween is almost upon us again. Time to decorate the house with paper and tombstones, ghosts and lights, you know, just to scare the hell out of the children who will be knocking on our door, begging for a trick or treat. Oh, I can't wait!

Every year I dress up my little Coco into a sometimes embarrassing outfit but believe it or not, she loves it. Don't let her pained face fool you, she's smiling on the inside.

Last year, Coco was Lady Gaga. Who wouldn't want to dress like that? She's fun and innovative, colorful and dramatic; a perfect combination for Halloween! But every time I think of Lady Gaga, I think of Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons. Remember them from the 80s?

That's why I decided to incorporate a little bit of both talented ladies into one costume, using three versions of hairstyles and masks.

Do you remember that bubble dress Lady Gaga wore? That was my inspiration for the body part of the costume, although Dale Bozzio did come up with a bubble wrap dress first. Just saying.

I looked for bubble wrap first but didn't find any, then realizing it would be lost on Coco's tiny body. It needed to be outrageous. White balloons were better.

TIP: The more outrageous, the better. Go large for your small dog and small for your large one. The more colors the better, especially if they are all white or all black.

Version 1 - The Bow

Step 1. Sew a straight piece of fabric into a tube and place it on your dog. It should look like a straight tube halter. In this costume, I used a shiny turquoise fabric. If your dog is smaller than Coco, (Coco weighs 14 lbs), use a sleeve off a sweatshirt, or a long sock. For bigger dogs, just use a shirt. Most of it will be covered by balloons anyway.

Step 2. Sew the balloons on the tubular "dress", making sure not to sew any on the bottom part, so they can walk. Don't blow balloons too tight, leaving enough slack so they don't pop and scare your pet.

Step 3. I looked everywhere in my house for a bow that would stand up straight and stay firm. Being a "recycle genius" is a gift, being modest, not so much. But I knew I'd find something without having to go out at all. Sure enough, I had an extra auto silver sun shade. It was firm and strong. It even came with elastics, that I would use to hold it on her head.

All I did was cut the end off the screen, tie it in the middle with a long strip of its own material to close in the center, making a bow. I took some elastic and sewed it on to center of bow and wrapped it around Coco's head, going under her chin.

Step 4. I dyed Coco's hair with food coloring, the same you use for Easter eggs. I'll admit, that stuff stayed on there for a pretty long time after bathing but she looked cute and what girl doesn't like a little bit of hair color?

Version 2 - Lightning Bolt

Step 1. The same as above except I cut a lightning bolt, sewing the elastic on and placing it under her chin, covering one eye.

Version 3 - Glasses

Step 1. Found some shutter glasses with some bling and color just to make it look a little different. Coco won her 3rd contest with the Bow outfit in the end. But it was fun dressing her. Not sure but I think she has it figured out the more she behaves when I dress her up, the more treats she gets. Hmm....

TIPS: If you are walking your dog outside wearing any of these outfits, remember careful where you go so the balloons don't pop (out by pointy gardens, etc).

Remember if you use the one where their vision is impaired, better not let them walk with them on unless you attach the glasses to the head or they glasses will fall off (tie elastic or rubber band from one end of glass arm to other).

True story of a little girl who saw ghosts that asked for her help. Soon her family was drawn in and what they all witnessed was not only scary, it was wonderful. A testament to the after-life and the unexplained.